Illusion

When I was born, he was preparing for the Korean War. We met and became close friends some 20 years ago. As I recall, they started appearing some two years ago. They come and go at will, and sometimes, entire families. When I visit him, talk of IMAGES is our first conversation. They are ILLUSIONS. An ILLUSION is a misleading visual IMAGE.* He is confronted with them daily in his home. While visiting, I listen to him as he attempts to point them out to me, but I never see what he sees, because they are in his brains, not mine. My mission is not to see, but to feel as much as possible what he feels and thereby, assist in the relief of a little pain. The IMAGES are real, but to him alone. My friend is 88 and lives alone in a studio apartment. Although he lives alone, he has friends and is not alone. For many, like my dear friend, this is a part of the aging process. However, having known him as a mentor, it is difficult to see him suffer in this manner. He's unafraid and used to being alone, having been divorced for many years, but this is very new to him. 090821PSCtest, "I" Contest New Or Old, Constance La France.2P *The Merriam-Webster Dictionary